Field of the Subject Matter
The subject matter relates to the field of heat sinks, more particularly but not exclusively, to heat sinks used for integrated circuits.
Discussion of Related Field
Electronic devices, such as, personal computer and laptops, among others, use one or more microprocessors. These microprocessors while operating at higher speeds generate heat. The heat generated can damage the microprocessor and other components associated with it. Therefore, heat sink, which is a type of heat exchanger, is used to overcome this problem.
Heat sinks are used to conduct the heat generated by the microprocessor and dissipate it into the environment, thereby allowing safe operation of the microprocessor. Heat sinks are generally categorized into two, namely, active heat sinks and passive heat sinks.
Passive heat sinks are metal fixtures associated with the microprocessor to increase the surface area of the conducting metal and dissipate heat into the environment. However, case of higher speed processors, which dissipates more heat, a much bigger passive heat sink is required for efficient operation of the microprocessor and to prevent it from physical damage. This requires constant increase in size of the heat sinks with ever-increasing speeds of the microprocessors, thereby increasing overall size of the electronic device, which includes such microprocessors.
Active heat sinks may be used to overcome the problem associated with size of the passive heat sinks. The active heat sinks include a fan to cool the metal fixtures. Incorporating a fan will overcome the problem of size. However, for efficient cooling of the heat sink, the air blown by the fan has to be directed, such that, it passes through the maximum possible surface area of the heat sink. Further, there should be a proper design for the air to exit the heat sink.
In light of the foregoing discussion, there is a need for a technique to implement a heat sink with improved efficiency.